What's Next?
by Suzie1989
Summary: Events surrounding Danielle's run in with Janine's car
1. Chapter 1

**Hey so basically my eleven year old sister, who is obsessed with Eastenders, challenged me to do a story with a list of characters from the show and this is what I came up with. The stuff in italics is flashbacks to that awful night and the rest is present day. Hope you enjoy, please read and review.**

**P.S. This is mainly in Stacey's POV**

**What's Next?**

I was standing at my stall totally spaced out. I was reminiscing about Thursday nights events. It was now fours days later. I thought about how I followed Ronnie down the street towards the tube and then the scene that I came across; _Danielle was lying in Ronnie's arms, blood coming from her nose, Janine was watching them. Then Ronnie started yelling for me to go and get help. As I ran to the Queen Vic I heard Janine saying that she didn't see her. When Roxy and I got back to Danni and Ronnie, Ronnie was yelling at Janine to go and get an ambulance._

_I watched Ronnie sobbing, "Danielle? DANIELLE?"_

_Where is that ambulance?_

_Ronnie turned around to face us. "She's dead! SHE'S DEAD!!!"_

_I couldn't move, Danielle can't be dead, she just can't._

"Earth to Stacey." I snapped back into present day. Bradley was standing in front of me, waving his arms like a lunatic. It amazed me how he could still bring a smile to my face, I wish so much that I had hadn't hurt him like I did. He stopped his frantic movements when I acknowledged him.

"Hey."

"Stace, you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?" I turned around and started tidying up my stock. "How's Lauren doing? She fitting back in alright?"

"Actually that's what I'm here for." I shot him a quizzical look, he continued. "Tanya is throwing her a sort of welcome home thing tonight and I was just wondering if you wanted to come with me."

Oh crap! He looked as high as a kite and I had to shoot him down once more.

"I'm sorry, I can't. I've got to be somewhere. Another time maybe yeah?"

**Meanwhile**

Max was in the Vic being served when Tanya storms in and approaches him. She did not look happy.

"Hey Tan. Phil can I get a white wine as well?"

"Sure" Phil headed to the other end of the bar, chuckling slightly, leaving Max to receive an earful from Tanya.

"Max! What did you say to Abi?"

"Nothing really, why?" Phil placed the white wine in front of Tanya and Max handed him a twenty.

"Because she is over the road slamming doors shut and fighting with Lauren."

"Look all I said to her that I wasn't going to take her to the park with Oscar because she should be spending time with Lauren. She seemed fine when I left." Max looked puzzled, he was wondering what had happened between him leaving the house a couple of hours ago to now.

"Well you are going straight back over there to sort it." Max could tell by the look on her face that she was serious so he left without another word.

Phil was back once more. "Where'd Max go? I have his change."

"I'll take it. Thanks." Tanya took the money off Phil and then sat down with her drink to enjoy some peace before heading back to the house.

**Later on;**

When I arrived at Walford General Hospital, I headed straight for the elevator. I got off on the fourth floor and looked for room 427. As I reached the door I slowed my pace, what the hell was Ronnie doing here?

_Ronnie turned around to face us. "She's dead! SHE'S DEAD!!!"_

_I couldn't move, Danielle can't be dead, she just can't. At that moment I heard sirens and the ambulance pulled up. Maybe, just maybe there's hope._

_The paramedic addressed Ronnie "Hi love, what's her name?" Ronnie managed to answer in between sobbing heavily, "… Danielle,… her name's Danielle…"_

_He took Danielle from Ronnie's arms and gently lay her on the ground while his colleague got a stretcher from the back of the ambulance. While he worked he asked, "Can I ask what happened? If we know the situation better it makes it easier for us to treat her."_

_The paramedic was performing CPR. I looked down at Danielle. Oh my god, Danielle was breathing again. Maybe she will be alright. The two paramedics quickly moved her onto the stretcher and into the ambulance._

"_She got hit by a car. The driver is standing over there." Ronnie pointed towards Janine and shot her a venomous look._

"_Right, then she most likely has some internal bleeding, we need to get her to the hospital immediately. Who will be riding in the ambulance with her?"_

_Ronnie looked at me but I shook my head, "No, you should go, you're her mother." She managed to mouth thank you before climbing in._

_Roxy, myself and Janine watched as the ambulance drove off, sirens blaring._

_Shortly after the ambulance left Charlie drove me to the hospital. When I got there Ronnie was sitting in a chair staring off into space. I sat next to her._

"_How is she?"_

"_I don't know, she's in surgery just now."_

_Ronnie spoke so softly I had to strain to hear her_

"_Stacey, she… she stopped breathing twice in the ambulance and they rushed her straight into theatre when we got here. They haven't told me anything since."_

_I don't know why I done it, I mean I hate the women for the way she acts superior to everybody else and especially for the way that she treated Danielle but at that moment I felt so sorry for her that I took her hand in mine and held it._

_Two and a half hours later_

_The doctor entered the waiting room, "Miss Mitchell?" Ronnie and I stood up simultaneously, I continued to hold her hand._

"_Well Danielle is a fighter, she may just pull through yet. But I must warn you that she has two broken ribs and her lung was torn. She stopped breathing three times in total and so until she wakes we won't know if she is suffering from any brain damage."_

"_Can we see her?"_

_The doctor nodded, "I will take you up to her, she is in intensive care for the moment. Don't be alarmed when you see her as she is hooked up to a lot of machines."_

_I let go of Ronnie's hand and then we both followed the doctor._

That witch is the entire reason that Danielle is lying that hospital bed, she doesn't deserve to have someone like Danielle as a daughter. What can I do though? If Dan wants her here then there is certainly nothing that I can do about it. Ever since she woke up on Saturday morning she had been adamant about seeing Ronnie whenever she could.

I gently knocked on the door and entered the room. "Hey Dan, how are you doing? Are you any better today?" I completely ignored Ronnie.

"Hey Stacey. You'd better sit down, I have some news." Danielle motioned for me to sit on the chair at the left side of the bed, directly across from Ronnie. After I sat down I asked, "Good news or bad news?" I really hoped that she was well enough to come home with me.

Danielle looked nervous, "It's a little bit of both actually."

"Give me the good news first then." I joked, trying to make light of the situation but truthfully I was terrified that something was seriously wrong.

"Okay, well the good news is that the doctor says I can go home in a couple of days…" Danielle paused. Why was she so nervous?

"That's great news Dan, but what's the bad news?"

Danielle couldn't speak and Ronnie piped up for the first time since I had entered the room, "This is the bit she's nervous about. I've asked her to come and stay with me."

"Stace, I don't want you to get upset, I really enjoyed staying with you and your family but I think that its time for me to get to know my own."

I didn't know what to say, unusual for me. I figured that I had I had no right to keep them apart. They've been separated for nineteen years, they had a lot of catching up to do.

Danielle paused when Ronnie got up. "Maybe I should go and leave you two to catch up. I'll be back tomorrow, do you want me to bring you anything?" Danielle shook her head so Ronnie let go of her hand and headed towards the door. "I'll see you later, bye Stacey."

Ronnie was almost at the door when Danielle spoke. "Bye mum."

It took absolutely no time at all for Danielle to realise what she said and Ronnie stopped in her tracks. Danielle's already large eyes widened in shock and when Ronne turned around she saw the fear in her daughters eyes.

"I'm sorry,…I shouldn't have said that,…I shouldn't have said anything…I, I …" Danielle was stammering. Ronnie briskly walked back towards the bed.

"Hey, hey, baby, it's okay. It's okay, you have nothing to be sorry for. If you want to call me mum then that's fine, I just don't want you to feel like you have to rush anything okay?"

Danielle mutely nodded and Ronnie pulled her into a loving embrace and gently kissed the top of her head. After a few minutes Ronnie was the first one to move and spoke. "Right well, I'd best be going, you know. Who wants to gossip with their old mum hanging around." Ronnie walked back out the door, stopped and turned back around. "I love you sweetie." She then continued to walk down the corridor.

"I'll be right back." I stood up and quickly ran after Ronnie before Danielle could say anything.

"Ronnie."

She stopped, turned around and then walked towards me.

"Ronnie, you might finally have Danielle back but you really hurt with what you said." I didn't have to elaborate as Ronnie knew exactly to what I was referring and looked ashamed with herself. I continued "And if you **ever** hurt her again you will have me too deal with."

"You know, I never thought I would say this but I'm glad that you're friends with Danielle and I wish so much that I hadn't hurt her like that but I did. I will be truly happy if she finds it in her heart to forgive me but I don't think she will and so I'm just going to have to live with that for the rest of my life." With that Ronnie walked off and I went back to Danielle's room wondering what was next for my best friend.


	2. Chapter 2

This is not a new chapter, I only ever intended for this to be a one shot.

I wanted to say thank you for the wonderful reviews and all of the story alerts and to also alert people to my new Ronnie/Danielle fic.

It will be published under the name 'Danielle's 1st Birthday' and will involve Ronnie/Danielle and Danielle partying with Stacey and Roxy and lots more.

I plan to publish it a week before what would have been Danielle's twentieth birthday (June 26th) and then upload a new chapter every day.

I am looking for a beta so please let me know if you can help me out. Thank you.

Love always to my wonderfully amazing readers,

Suzie


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